Fanloid Wiki:Policy/Manual of Style

Currently there is nothing major to state, since this is wikia is meant to be a fandom project, and thus contribution is likely to be done by those who create their own pages. So, eventually the Manual of Style will gradually update depending on community activity.

Here are some basic policies for writing style on this wikia.

Page Layout

 * The guides are how pages can be organized, they are done for easy reading. Although the layouts are not set in stone for your own fanmade, it would be appreciated if there was a similarity among the pages. However, when it comes to found fanmades (characters transferred from other sources), then the layout should be followed as is.

Use the Minor Edit button
As a corollary to the above, if you're making a minor edit (e.g. fixing a spelling error or tweaking formatting), check the "This is a minor edit" button below the Summary box before saving the page. Again, this will make things easier for the rest of us.

Use the Preview Button
The preview button is right next to the save edit button, and is there for a reason. It's your own personal spell checker, link checker, whatever-else checker. Use it. Users that purposefully do not preview edits as to inflate their edit count are not well regarded amongst trusted contributors, and you may find yourself in trouble with an administrator.

Don't link to the current page
In other words, a page should not link to itself. If it is attempted, the link will simply turn into bold text.

Link once (or not excessively)
A given page should only contain one link to any other page. If a page links to Mumei Jinbutsu in one place, then that should be the only link to Mumei Jinbutsu on that page. Typically this link should be the first instance of the term in the article. The only exception is if the page gets too lengthy and linking is not excessive.

There shouldn't really be inner links when it comes to Fanon chapters.

Grammar

 * Either American English (AmE) or British English (BrE) can be used in articles. The Fanloid Wiki allows both spellings, and has no preference over one another. The exception are the policies as done by the administrator and the articles of interest relating to Vocaloid. Other than that, users who maintain their own Fanmade page and Fan fiction are free to their native writing style.

Writing

 * Check your spelling and grammar, try to avoid using netspeak or any similar slang. Example 'u' in place of 'you' or '2' in place of 'to'. Write the way you would for a class paper or a newspaper article. If you're not 100% sure about the way a word is spelled, type it into Google or Dictionary.com. If you know that you're not the strongest speller, compose your edits in a word processor like Microsoft Word or use an Internet browser like Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, which have spell-checking built in.
 * If your character literally speaks in slang then explain that in personality or quote section.
 * Don't use "smileys" or "emoticons" excessively on fanmade pages or story pages, you can reserve that for blogs and user pages etc.
 * Don't sign your name on pages you've edited, that is reserved for talk pages.
 * When it comes to abbreviating the names of characters, places, or anything. Wherever possible, use the full name of a character the first time they are mentioned. After the first mention, you may refer to "Mumei Jinbutsu" as "Mumei" or "Miku Hatsune" as "Miku" or "Hatsune" and so forth. This is because it's likely that many fanmades will have similar names to one another, this is particularly apparent when two people are working on their own version of a character with the same name.

"Don't" sign your edits
All contributions are appreciated, but if every user left their mark on every contribution they made, the Wiki would be nothing but signatures. If you've made an edit that you're particularly proud of (such as a transcript or screenshot), the correct place to take credit is on your own user page. If you do not have a user account, we respect your anonymity, but your edits will remain anonymous, too.

"Do" sign your talk posts
If you make a post on a discussion page, please sign it. If you have a user account, this is as easy as typing ~ at the end of your post. If you don't have a user account, just sign it with your name or nickname so everybody can tell who's who when reading long conversations. Even better, create an account anyway and use the signature method described. There really is no reason not to if you're going to stick around.

Headers/Headings as links
The current admin has not personal issue with this, however, use the Main Redirect Template and add it under the header. Additionally, avoid adding the the Ref Tag to the header.

WikiText style
Common uses


 * Headers should be in the form ==Header==, not the form =Header=.
 * To link to other pages.
 * Redirects are usually created when a page is moved (i.e. renamed): the original page is given a redirect.
 * To add an article to this category, put  at the end of that article.
 * Displaying images, example . Remember to view the Image policy.
 * Displaying images, example . Remember to view the Image policy.

Naming Pages

 * Series type (titleloid) pages should be singular, as you are explaining the name. Example, series "Vocaloid" not "Vocaloids". The exception is with story pages or non-series pages, as you will likely type as if the whole group is involved.


 * ALL fan fiction and non canon material are to be titled as "Fanon:" (or at some point _(fanon)), if a story is discovered and not properly titled, then it will be moved.

Character Pages

 * The page should have an infobox, either (Infobox1 or Infobox2)
 * The page should have the following information:
 * 1) Infobox
 * 2) Picture in infobox; if no picture use (File:Unknown-icon.png)
 * 3) A short intro with no heading
 * 4) Information heading(s)
 * 5) Trivia section if possible
 * 6) Galley section if possible
 * The page should be categorized depending on the intent of the character.

Series type Pages
The series pages have a similar set up to characters, it is primarily set up to be a group information page. So, if only one character is under this name, much of the set up can be eliminated.


 * The page should have the following information:
 * 1) Infobox, however an infobox for series pages isn't entirely necessary.
 * 2) Picture or Picture in infobox; if no picture use (File:Unknown-icon.png)
 * 3) A short intro with no heading
 * 4) Information heading(s)
 * 5) Trivia section if possible
 * 6) Galley section if possible
 * The page should be categorized in the series category and "characters by..." category, nothing else.

Fanon Pages
This part of the wiki is a growing experiment, so only the basic is covered. Just know that at any point the organization of these pages will change.


 * A fanon page can start with a main page that links to chapters.
 * The main page should have an infobox, (Infobox Fanon1 and Notice property), more can be created if needed.
 * The page should have the following information:
 * 1) Infobox
 * 2) A short intro with no heading
 * 3) Information heading(s)
 * The main page should be categorized in the "about story" category and the "fanon by..." category.
 * The chapter pages should be categorized in the "fanon by..." category, until another category is thought about.
 * A single one-shot page should be categorized in the "fanon by..." category, until another category is thought about.
 * The Property template will automatically sort fanon into "fanon by..." category.

Talk Pages

 * Talk pages can be marked with Talkheader at the top.
 * New messages go under old.
 * Always sign with four tildes - ~
 * Archiving will be done by the administrator or trusted editor who knows how to do this. Do Not blank talk pages without reason.

Categories

 * Every page should have one or more category, along with pictures, and templates, even categories!
 * Add categories to categories (That are relevant) to make a category tree.
 * At some point these trees will be linked to a main root category.
 * The administrator can help if need be.